Joe Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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Question 124: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if she intends to review the forward planning system in the building unit of her Department in view of the increasing problems of schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7959/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The general process of assessing and planning for the need for additional provision at primary or post-primary level in any given area entails consideration of all relevant factors, including enrolment and demographic trends, housing and other developments and the capacity of existing schools to meet the demand for places. My Department is included among the prescribed authorities to whom local authorities are statutorily obliged to send draft development plans or proposed variations to development plans for comment. As a matter of course, meetings are arranged with local authorities to establish the location, scale and pace of any major proposed developments and their possible implications for school provision.

Officials in the school planning section of my Department are strengthening contacts with local authorities to enable informed decisions to be made in planning future educational provision. For example, a specific forum, the Dublin school planning committee, chaired by officials of my Department, interacts with the Dublin local authorities. The forum comprises representatives of the local authorities in Dublin and those of the patron bodies of primary schools. It works proactively to monitor demographic changes and their likely impact. Over and above this, as the Deputy will be aware, a new area based approach to school planning is being pursued by my Department. This involves a public consultation process and published area development plans which form a blueprint for school development in an area in a ten-year period. All of these measures, taken in combination, will enable us to build on the progress made to date and plan and respond ever more effectively to emerging need.

Denis Naughten (Longford-Roscommon, Fine Gael)
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Question 125: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the action she is taking to upgrade schools in County Roscommon; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7754/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Applications for capital funding for schools are assessed in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria, which was revised following consultation with the education partners. I recently announced the first phases of the 2005 school building and modernisation programme which provided details of 122 major school building projects countrywide which will prepare tenders and move to construction during the next 12 to 15 months; an expansion to 171 in the number of schools that will be invited to deliver their building projects on the basis of devolved funding; 20 schools that will be provided with prefabricated accommodation already in the system; 43 schools that will be authorised to commence architectural planning; and 590 schools approved for funding under the 2005 summer works scheme.

In addition to three building projects currently under construction in County Roscommon, funding for a further eight has been announced recently. I plan to make further announcements in the coming period in relation to the schools building and modernisation programme which will include details of schools identified as suitable for construction under public private partnerships and schools whose projects will further progress through the design process. Eligible projects, including those in County Roscommon, will be considered for inclusion in future announcements.